Catastrophe and the Cure
by John Smith
Summary: Days after disappearing mysteriously, Naruto is discovered on the outskirts of Konoha in a comatose state. He awakens and baffles Tsunade and the others as they begin to piece together the mystery behind what he—and all of Konoha—have lost.
1. First Breath After Coma

**First Breath After Coma**

A shuddering breath, greedily taking in as much air as possible. He coughed, and everything hurt. _He_? Awareness and existence slowly began to manifest itself with a new breath, then another, then another. He was breathing. He was alive. And he was _sadscaredmad_, but those feelings floated in the background, an obvious second to this new thing that was being alive.

And then he opened his eyes. Light rushed in so violently that he shut them again very tightly, feeling his skin stretch as he wrinkled his nose. It felt good. He tried moving something else**—**his hand now**—**and that felt good too. The eyes could wait. That blinding white was terrible. His fingers twitched and then plucked lightly at fabric. He smoothed down the small folds he'd just created, then plucked more into being. He wiggled toes, tilted his head a bit left and then a bit right, and then tried to bend a knee, but apparently that was taking it too far because gravity won that battle. He tried again, bending his knee so that his heel dragged along smooth fabric toward him. The thin, soft fabric draped over him rustled with the motion as he let his leg fall flat again, satisfied with conquering his first opponent.

Someone gasped.

—

Shizune bolted down the hallway, her muscles aching and barely carrying her from the shock alone. When she skidded to a stop at the nurse's station, she barked a quick set of commands**—**one was _"Get Tsunade-sama"_**—**and was dashing back to the room. To Naruto.

She slowed to a walking pace as she reached his door, still ajar, and then stepped in with no small amount of trepidation. His head was turned toward the window, but he shifted slightly and trained his squinted eyes on her as she approached. She had hoped that his pale, sunken cheeks and the dark rings under his eyes would be less prominent once he awakened, but he still looked awful.

"How do you feel?" She asked, biting her lip. For a painfully long set of seconds, he showed no indication that he'd heard.

Then, with a raspy voice, he said "I dunno." She smiled reassuringly, seating herself at his bedside. His half**—**lidded eyes followed her the length of the room, and he blinked slowly as she sat.

"I'm going to check you over a little, okay? Just tell me if you can feel when I press." She pulled out a small tool from the lining of her sleeve**—**just a simple pen-shaped instrument**—**and took one of his fingers in hers. With a sudden but sloppy motion, Naruto pulled his hand free. He was eying the tool with a vaguely skeptical expression, and Shizune couldn't help but laugh. "Relax, it's not as sharp as it looks. I just want you to tell me when I tap your fingers and toes with it." He remained unconvinced.

"Where's the doctor?" He asked, voice still husky and slurred. After employing considerable effort to hold his hand away from her, he let it fall to his chest with a quiet thump.

"Tsunade-sama is on her way. Can you move your other hand as well?" She watched him flex the fingers of his right hand, drawing them along the sheet. "And your feet?" He wiggled the toes of both feet under the thin white blanket. With a relieved sigh, Shizune gave him her warmest smile. "I'm so glad you're in one piece. You know, we were all really worried about you. Especially a few very specific people," she added the last part in a lower tone, a hand over her mouth mischievously. At this, Naruto met her eyes again.

"Huh?" He asked softly. "Who are you?"

—

Tsunade had exited the Hokage tower with agitation etched onto her features and was walking at a fast clip to the hospital. There weren't many issues that made her rush, but that boy seemed to be involved in a lot of those that did. She slowed to a more calm pace as she entered the hospital.

The door to Naruto's room flew open just as Tsunade reached for the handle. Inside, Shizune greeted her with a look of dismay.

"Tsu..Tsunade-sama. Naruto... uh, we should maybe, um, talk out here for a moment?" Looking about ready to stroke out was a daily occurrence for Shizune, but Tsunade could feel anxiety prickling at her aggressively. She almost accepted, but then Naruto spoke.

He asked something about a doctor, but his weak voice was hard to hear over the sound of Tsunade running a hand over her hair. Then, more clearly and with distinct confusion he asked "what's going on?" The two kunoichi gazed at one another in deliberation, then Shizune seemed to relinquish her idea and turned back to face the boy.

Tsunade stepped past her and stopped in front of Naruto.

"We found you just outside the village and you've been in a coma for four days. You were gone for more than a week before that. What happened?" She spoke with a hard voice, but her eyes had a softness to them that Naruto didn't miss.

"I was kinda hoping you could tell me. I don't remember anything." He gave a sheepish smile, but it seemed ghostly on his pale, sickly face. Tsunade gave a sigh, running a hand through a lock of hair.

"I guess that can't be helped. Are you in any pain?" He shook his head.

"Am I gonna die?" He asked, eyes wide for the first time. Tsunade smiled with mild amusement.

"No, Naruto. You'll be fine. So what's the last thing you _do_ remember?" She asked after glancing over his vitals a second time.

"This lady trying to stab my fingers," he answered flatly, tipping his chin in Shizune's direction. She managed to make a noise of indignance. Tsunade chose to ignore the attitude, as she did most of the time.

"I mean before all this." Tsunade gestured vaguely at the room. Then she watched curiously as Naruto's expression shifted a few times, finally settling on confusion. He blinked a few times, then rather slowly said:

"Nothing." He looked at her almost distrustfully.

"What do you mean nothing?" She asked.

"Tsunade-sama, that's what I was, I mean," Shizune sighed, collecting herself. "He's lost his memory."

The words struck Tsunade like a wave of ice water, chilling her to the bone. _What?_

For ten days, she had held onto the fear that Naruto might never come back. He finally had, leaving them half-relieved, half-worried for the following days he lay unconscious. But this... _Why?_

Shizune's touch drew her back to reality. She took a deep breath, then abruptly strode to the window. She knew Naruto's eyes were following her.

"Get me Inoichi and Ibiki... and Kakashi." She said in a deceptively calm voice. With a _pop_, an unseen ANBU shinshuned away. In nearly the same second, Kakashi shinshuned in.

"Woah," Naruto said, impressed. Tsunade raised an eyebrow at Kakashi. He must have already been listening. His novel was open and a half-lidded eye was trained onto its pages almost apathetically.

"You called?" He droned in a bored tone.

"Hovering doesn't suit you, Kakashi," Tsunade said humorlessly.

"So, I hear you don't remember me, Naruto. Not very nice." He raised an eyebrow to the boy, finally looking up from the book. "After all we've been through together."

"Oh. Um, sorry," he responded, looking as though he _wanted _to be sorry rather than actually _being _sorry. "Will I ever remember?" He was asking Tsunade.

"We'll do everything we can. If anyone can make a full recovery, it's you." She approached then, remembering the small scrape on Naruto's shoulder. "May I?" She asked, gently pulling his hospital smock down to expose his pale shoulder. The scrape was still healing, scabbed over and pink around the edges. She locked eyes with Kakashi, the two grave.

"What's that?" Naruto asked, looking a bit scared again. "Is that bad?"

"It's just a scrape, don't worry about it." She fixed the smock and patted him. "I need to see your stomach too, though." He wore a hesitant frown as he slowly pushed the blanket down and then pulled his shirt up, straining to lift his head enough to see as well. She was glad to see him recovering muscle usage at a fair clip, at least.

"Is it okay?" He asked, letting his head fall back after a few seconds.

"Well, mold some chakra for me and we'll find out." Tsunade placed a hand on his stomach, feeling for any sign of chakra flow.

"Huh?" He asked, and she blanched. She stepped back, recovering quickly, and her eyes found their way to Kakashi, who suddenly looked hesitant himself.

"Pretty sure that's Iruka's job," he muttered, but she simply gazed at him expectantly, crossing her arms. Before either could argue further, Shizune began to speak gently.

"Naruto-kun, close your eyes and feel the energy flowing throughout your body. Try to gather it into one spot. It can be any spot, so just choose one that feels natural." She had placed a hand on Naruto's reassuringly. He closed his eyes.

"Here, this might help," She added, bringing his hands together into a simple seal. "But straighten those fingers," she continued, and he corrected his hands awkwardly.

With a sudden _pop_, Inoichi was in the room, shortly followed by Ibiki himself. Naruto's concentration was rightfully broken then, but with a poutlike frown at the two, he was right back to chakra-molding. Quick to catch on, Ibiki and Inoichi stood in silence. The five adults watched in muted anticipation.

After several long seconds, there was a clear shift in Naruto's chakra, enough that there would be no claiming that he had not molded it. Enough that the Kyuubi's seal should have been sitting prominently black upon his stomach.

But it wasn't.


	2. The Only Moment We Were Alone

**The Only Moment We Were Alone**

He knew they were unhappy about something, and he knew it had to do with his stomach, but that's about all he could figure out. Naruto—which was apparently his name—wasn't sure how his stomach could bother people so much.

"What is it?" he asked, and was disappointed when the silent conversation between the adults above him seemed to continue. Not one of them answered his question. He propped himself up on elbows, pleased when Shizune began stacking his pillows up and helping him slide back to sit against the headboard.

"He's suffering from amnesia," Tsunade said at the questioning looks from the two.

"If it even _is _him," Ibiki said, lancing Naruto with a cold glare. The young man shrunk back a bit.

"That's why I asked you both here." Tsunade's eyes shifted from Ibiki to Inoichi. "I'd like you to see if there are any seals on his memory, or if..." She let the sentence finish itself, Ibiki's words still hanging in the air heavily.

"Here? At the hospital?" Inoichi uncharacteristically questioned.

"Here." She responded with finality. He gave a single, quick nod and approached the bedside. Shizune backed away, allowing him to sit in the visitor's chair.

"Just relax, Naruto." Tsunade said, and both she and Shizune gave him encouraging smiles. Naruto watched as Inoichi's hand descended over him, fingers splayed. The warm palm cast a dark shadow over his eyes, and then he slumped, Inoichi's hand holding his head up. As soon as Naruto was out, Kakashi glanced up at Tsunade.

"Akatsuki?" He trawled.

"It's the only thing that makes sense right now." She responded with a sigh. Ibiki must have known what she was thinking because he voiced it just then.

"A bit early, no? Jiraiya said we had another few years. He's not slipping, is he?" He smirked, but there was no humor in it.

"It must have been a false rumor. Planted." Tsunade murmured, deep in thought.

"I guess everyone makes mistakes," Ibiki agreed. Tsunade turned her attention to Kakashi.

"You said there wasn't a familiar scent on him?" He had closed his book and was watching Inoichi's silent, invasive interrogation.

"No sign of Itachi or Kisame," he said without looking away.

Hand still in place over Naruto's eyes, Inoichi suddenly turned to them. They all regarded him with hard, attentive eyes as he spoke.

"There's nothing. Just darkness with some muffled voices. Probably what he was hearing while in comatose. Nothing else." When the others did not react, he continued. "_Nothing_ else. I've never seen anything like it before."

"No seals?" Ibiki asked, eyebrow raised skeptically.

"Not that I can tell. I've never heard of anyone being able to bury _anything _like this. There's no seal, no remnants, nothing. He's a clean slate." He sounded borderline impressed with it all.

"Wh-What could have happened?" Shizune asked.

"The Kyuubi." Tsunade said. "Tearing it out might have taken everything with it."

"I'm still not buying that. No one has ever heard of a jinchuuriki surviving the removal of its bijuu." Ibiki said.

"Even Jiraiya was never able to fully decipher Yondaime's seal. He could have found a way." Kakashi interjected suddenly.

"You really think a bunch of missing nin are going to risk their own hides to deliver a stolen jinchuuriki back home?" Ibiki sneered.

"If you have a better guess, Ibiki, I'd like to hear it." Tsunade's arms were crossed now as well.

"It's not him." He said frankly. Discomfort shifted over the room quietly.

"Even an imposter would have suppressed memories at least," Inoichi said softly, glancing back down at Naruto with concentration etched on his features.

"A clone, then." He retorted.

"We already established there were no jutsus on him." Tsunade stated frankly. "Even a kekkai genkai clone technique would be detected, although Jiraiya's on his way to run a few more detection seals.

"Orochimaru could have done it. He was affiliated with Akatsuki for a while there too, wasn't he? Maybe this is why they wanted that freak." Once again, uncomfortable silence.

"There is something, though." Inoichi said after a moment. His eyes were closed. No one spoke, but they all watched him closely. "Not remnants, or at least not any like I've seen before. Just emotions."

"Emotions?" Tsunade asked.

"Yeah, he's mad about something, but he doesn't seem to know what. And scared." He sighed after a pause, finally removing his hand from Naruto's face and, with Shizune, gently sliding him back to lie flat. "I guess I would be too, if I couldn't remember a thing." He shrugged.

"Are they deep?" Ibiki asked.

"Pretty deep," he nodded. "But not repressed and definitely not suppressed. He's aware of them, he just doesn't understand them."

"Maybe that's left over from what happened." Shizune offered.

"Like I said, they're completely different from any remnants, I've seen... but I suppose that is a possibility."

Tsunade bit her thumb in thought for a moment, then turned, hands on her hips, to Shizune.

"Shizune, Naruto's going to stay in the hospital for at least another 3 days. I still want you to monitor him. Make sure you get him up and moving, and report everything. _Everything._" Shizune gave an emphatic salute.

"Yes ma'am!" She jerked her chin in a nod.

"You two, bring Jiraiya up to date when he gets here. Should be in about four days if I'm not mistaken. Find out what you can about those emotions, Inoichi. Kakashi, let Sakura know about Naruto's... condition." Almost imperceptibly, Kakashi's shoulders slumped. "He needs support, and she needs to know before she visits."

With measured agreements, all but Shizune departed the room, each wearing a troubled but determined expression.

—

It was the next day when Sakura, her feet heavier than she had ever felt them, approached the same room slowly. She let her hand hover over the door handle for several seconds before opting to knock. Shizune answered with apologetic features.

"Please come in." She said, taking a seat near the door and busying herself with some reading. Naruto was leaned far out the window, scanning the streets below. When he heard Shizune speak, he turned around with a look of interest.

"Who are you?" He asked, tilting his head curiously. Sakura did everything she could not to cringe. Shizune shot him a frown that reeked of _we talked about this_.

"I'm Sakura." She said, and the words felt utterly surreal aimed at Naruto. She suddenly wanted to shake him until he cried uncle and admitted that the whole thing was a really,_ really_ bad prank. Except it wasn't. For a moment, she was once again fighting tears, but she steeled herself, remembering Kakashi's warning. _Don't cry, Sakura._

"I'm your teammate," she added after gaining a grip on herself. Then, with hesitation she wished she didn't have, "we're friends."

"Cool. I guess you know me pretty well, then." He gave a warm, closed-mouth smile that seemed all wrong on a face that usually grinned.

"Yeah..." She swallowed. "Well, I'm gonna catch up with you later, Naruto. Tsunade says we can probably go for a walk tomorrow. Feel better soon!" She smiled sweetly and waved as she departed out the door, trying to ignore the way his face seemed to fall.

By the time she burst out of the hospital, gulping fresh air, tears were running uncontrolled down her cheeks.

"I'll be right back, Naruto-kun. Just wait a moment." Shizune said, hurrying out the door. He suspected that she was going after Sakura, but he couldn't be sure.

"Okay," he said to the empty room.

He'd been standing for a significant amount of time and was really starting to feel his weight, but he walked another restless lap around the room before flopping back down onto his bed.

_Sakura..._

Muffled voices spoke around him, making his hair stand on end.

Naruto's eyes widened, but all he saw was black. More muffled voices. He _hated _them. He had never hated something so much before. The voices were fading, falling away into the distance, but he wanted to tear them to pieces, to shred them and drink their blood. _Konoha_, they had said. _To Konoha_...

"-to-kun. Naruto-kun!" His eyes snapped open, and he immediately felt his pounding heart, cold sweat on his face. Shizune was looking down on him with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I had a dream," he said, the words drifting to his ears fuzzily as though his voice wasn't the one saying them. "I think it was a memory." She looked shocked.

"Wh-What did you remember?" He sat up meekly, his hands shaking from the adrenaline release.

"They said they're coming to Konoha."

* * *

Author's Note: I'm interested to see people's comments/guesses at this early point. Also, critique is always welcome! :) In the coming chapters I will try to include some characters we don't get to see as much as we should. Offer some suggestions if there are characters you'd like to see more of, even if they aren't rare at all. It always surprises me how much inspiration can come out of even the most limited input, so every review is appreciated!


	3. So Long, Lonesome

**So Long, Lonesome**

Sakura came the next day, only to tell Naruto that she couldn't go for a walk with him after all. He should have expected it, really, after last evening had consisted of another interrogation followed by nervous glances from Shizune every time he so much as twitched a finger. He was grateful, then, that Sakura had sat and chatted, telling him about some of the adventures they'd had together. It had taken the dream out of his thoughts for the first time since he'd had it. But now he felt himself again wondering why they were so much more bothered by the simple words spoken in his dream rather than what was bothering _him—_his own bloodlust. What _was_ that?

He shook it out of his mind once again, trying to fondly recall Sakura's tales as he sat on the window sill, one leg dangling outside.

He really wanted to leave the hospital today.

Someone knocked twice. "Come in," he said, watching the door slide open to reveal a new person. This man had a large scar cutting across the middle of his face. Naruto's eyes widened slightly; this one was probably like that Ibiki man: a hard, scary person.

"Naruto," he said with an unexpectedly bright smile. "I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. I brought you ramen, though." He raised the instant ramen cup as though in a toast. "I figured since you had about two hundred stuffed in your cabinets, you wouldn't mind me bringing some over here."

"Thanks," Naruto gave a nod, now pretty sure that he liked instant ramen. The man smiled sheepishly, suddenly.

"Sorry, let me introduce myself. I'm Iruka, and I was your teacher leading up to when you became a shinobi." He smiled so fondly then that Naruto couldn't _not _like this person. He smiled back, hopping off the window sill and leaning against it instead.

"What kind of things did I learn?" He asked. Iruka seemed surprised by the question. Then he laughed.

"Well, the history of Konoha for one. Basic shinobi jutsus such as kawarimi and bunshin. _Your_ favorite jutsu was the kage bunshin. But, uh, you kinda taught yourself that one." He smiled again, but this time it was a little different. Was that... pride? Naruto's heart swelled.

"Tsunade-sama told me my parents died," he blurted very suddenly, unsure of why. He doubted it was the right thing to say. Iruka paused, but only for a short moment.

"That's right," he responded softly, approaching and taking a seat on the end of Naruto's bed so that they were only a few steps apart. "They died protecting the entire village_—_and you. Mine died in the same battle, for the same reason. We have a lot in common." He squeezed the ramen cup as he spoke, passing it from one hand to the other.

"What battle was it?" Naruto asked. Iruka didn't look up from his hands when he answered.

"It was when the Kyuubi attacked."

"What's the Kyuubi?" Naruto unconsciously tilted his head. Iruka still didn't look up, silent for some moments.

"It was a demon fox that attacked on the day you were born. Almost nothing can compete with it in power, but the village managed to hold it off long enough for the Yondaime Hokage to stop it." He looked up then, eyes less warm than before, but not cold. He scrutinized Naruto for a moment before smiling. "They would be very proud of how far you've come. I know I am." He grinned again. Naruto could feel the slight ache of his cheeks, unable to stop smiling.

"Here, come with me a second," Iruka said, setting the ramen cup down on Naruto's bed and walking to the door.

"Shizune said I was supposed to wait here when she was gone," he said, but the excited smile on his face was enough reason for Iruka to shrug it off.

"Don't worry, we're just walking across the hall." He said flippantly. Then, with a little mischief to his voice, "I want to show you something you'll love." He lead Naruto down the hallway, and then, after a peek inside, into an empty room.

They stood at the window and looked out over the town from a new perspective now. Naruto didn't bother holding back his awe, leaning far into the air to gape at the massive stone faces carved into the mountainside straight ahead of him.

"What is _that_?" He asked excitedly.

"That's what I wanted to show you. Those are the previous Hokage of Konoha. The village leaders_—_the strongest shinobi with the greatest will to protect everyone here." He paused, letting Naruto inspect each face closely, then began explaining each Hokage's role. Naruto soaked it up completely, eyes wide with wonder. "They're all regarded with the absolute highest honor in the village, as you can see," Iruka concluded.

"I'll bet being Hokage is great," Naruto breathed.

"It's been your goal ever since I can remember," Iruka responded.

"Do you think I could be Hokage?" Naruto spun to face him, fists clenched and eyes wide with excitement.

"I'm certain you will."

Naruto was practically running on the way back to his room.

—

"We've got patrols running the edges of town, so don't worry. You'll be safe here as long as you stay in Konoha. Don't forget to let us know if you remember _anything _else." Naruto nodded rhythmically, kicking a foot in anticipation. Tsunade was giving him one last lecture, and Sakura was standing at the door with an excited smile on her face. Getting visitors was nice_—_Naruto had met quite a few people over the past few days, with Iruka-sensei being the newest_—_but he was ready to get out now.

"Yeah yeah," he said distractedly. Sakura frowned from at the door.

"Just say it once, Naruto!" She called, brandishing her fist at him.

"Ah, I'm sorry but I just wanna go, can I _please_ go?" He asked Tsunade, eyes gazing up at her imploringly. She sighed, rubbing a temple.

"As long as you remember. Go on, Naruto." He was launching himself toward the door before she'd finished his name.

—

The two were walking to his apartment in the mid-afternoon sun. For Naruto, it felt _so good _to be outside.

"Sakura, where do you live?" He asked in between peeking down the streets they passed.

"With my parents, down in that direction," she pointed. "You used to call me Sakura-chan, you know. I didn't really _like_ it at the time, but... it's kind of weird without it," she said, glancing away from him casually with a chuckle.

"Oh, okay Sakura-chan. Sorry about that," he smiled, reaching for her bag. "I'll carry that for you if you want!"

"It's okay," she said, drawing it closer to her. "And you don't have to say sorry so much." She smiled sweetly at him, but somehow it seemed so sad. Before he could consider that further, his thoughts were interrupted.

"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" someone hollered from one of the side streets Naruto had just looked down. The pair stopped to watch as a boy their age with a white puppy on his head jogged toward them, two others at his sides. "Naruto!" He said when he got closer. "I _knew _I smelled you. When did you get out of the hospital?" He grinned as his two companions stopped beside him. One was a girl with dark hair and nearly-white eyes, and the other was apparently a boy, but he was too covered up for Naruto to be positive.

"Just a few minutes ago," Naruto said, smiling.

"W-welcome back, Naruto-kun," a very quiet voice said. He glanced at the white-eyed girl and nodded a grateful smile in her direction. She shrunk back, blushing wildly.

"Sorry we didn't visit, but we just got back from a four day mission ourselves, you know. We kicked some bandit ass while you were lying around!" Kiba belted a laugh. Naruto nodded again, unsure of what to say.

"Um," Sakura interjected suddenly, "you guys might not have heard yet, but Naruto doesn't remember anything." Hinata suddenly looked about to faint, eyes wide. She steepled her fingers over her open mouth after a second.

"Is that why ol' Tsunade's got half the clan patrolling?" Kiba asked. "Don't remember who got you? Too bad, but hey." He shrugged, picking something from beneath one of his unusually long nails. Naruto shifted uncomfortably, and before Sakura could correct him, the last and most quiet person present spoke.

"It is clear that Naruto is not behaving normally. Why do I say this? He has been quiet since we approached. This means it is likely that Sakura meant that he has lost all memories." Shino said matter-of-factly. Kiba's jaw just about dropped.

"What? Is that true!?" He grabbed Naruto by the collar, pulling him close.

"Ah! Yes!" Naruto yelped, looking to Sakura imploringly.

"Stop being a jerk, Kiba!" She pulled the two apart and gave him a vicious glare. Kiba reared up to argue with her, Akamaru growling on top of his head, but he didn't get a word out before Naruto spoke... Or rather, before his stomach spoke. It grumbled loudly, and he blushed.

"Ah, um, I'm hungry. Guess we gotta go!" He started pushing Sakura away, but she dug her heels into the ground, still glaring at Kiba, who suddenly slammed a fist into his palm.

"No way! I got the best idea! We'll go to Ichiraku and you'll probably remember everything!" He grabbed Naruto by the arm and started pulling him along in the opposite direction of his apartment. Again, he looked at Sakura pleadingly, but she was of no help this time.

"It's worth a try, I guess," she said, giving a helpless shrug. "Are you two coming too?" The three began trailing after, and Naruto watched as the the white-eyed girl regarded him with an incredibly saddened look before glancing away. He frowned, righting himself when Kiba finally started to loosen his grip. He fell into step with Sakura as she caught up, although the dog boy was looking back every few seconds with a fanged smirk to make sure they didn't try to run for it.

"What's Ichu.. raki?" Naruto asked after a moment. Sakura sighed with a smile, and Kiba gave an emphatic snort.

"Ichiraku, idiot! It's a ramen stand, and it's your favorite thing in the world. I think you like it even better than yelling like an idiot." He laughed loudly again. Naruto frowned. When they approached, he sat tentatively at the counter, Kiba clapping his shoulder with a rowdy call to the man inside. "Yo, Teuchi! Naruto here wants a miso ramen!"

Teuchi turned and gave Kiba a withering stare. "That's Teuchi-san to you," he said, slamming a pair of chopsticks down in front of the boy menacingly. Then, his face softening, he turned to Naruto.

"Iruka-san mentioned that you're not feeling well, Naruto. I think my ramen has helped you recover in the past, so we'll do our best." Next to him, a young woman nodded emphatically.

"We owe at least that to our number one customer!" She said, grinning.

Naruto split his chopsticks as the steaming bowl was placed in front of him and was just dipping in when Sakura threw him a sideways glance.

"Don't forget to thank them for the food now," she said with a frown.

"Oh, right. Itadakimasu." He bowed his head and started to reach for a bite again.

"Wrong!" Kiba barked, grabbing his wrist to stop him once more. "You're saying it all wrong! You've gotta put your chopsticks like this"_—_he placed them between thumbs and index fingers, hands together in prayer_—_"and say it like an idiot! Itadakimasu!" He recited the word in a delighted, sing-song voice.

"That does sound just like Naruto-kun!" Ayame said cheerfully from behind the counter.

"Ah... okay. Itadakimasu." Naruto repeated it, though with a little less gusto than Kiba had used.

"Gah! You're not supposed to just do what I tell you!" He said, scratching his head in neurotic agitation.

"Then what am I supposed to do!?" Naruto cried out, finally fed up with the rude dog boy. He looked somewhere between angry and helpless.

"Kiba! Stop bothering him. He'll never be normal again if you keep this up!" Sakura said, glaring across the bowl of ramen. _Normal..._

"It just aint right, right Shino?" He turned to his other side, where Shino was standing. "We gotta get him back to normal! He's really pissing me off like this!"

"I think we need not worry. Why do I think this? Naruto does not give up; thus, he will remember." Kiba frowned, then seemed to agree, crossing his arms and donning a smirk.

"Yeah, that's true." He assented. Atop his head, Akamaru yipped in agreement. "You're right, Akamaru."

Naruto still had not tasted his food. He gazed down at it with a feeling of growing disappointment. Since he awakened, this seemed to be happening over and over again. He was reminded by nearly everyone that he was not the person they wanted at all.

"N..Naruto-kun..." a quiet voice said from beyond Sakura. Naruto had nearly forgotten that the light-eyed girl was present, and he turned to gaze at her intently, still holding his unused chopsticks. With a knowing smile, Sakura herself leaned back to let the two speak, her hands clasping the edge of her stool. "I think..." Hinata swallowed. "I think you should just be yourself." He was surprised by the comment, eyes widening. She was still looking down at her fidgeting hands as she quietly continued. "Th...that's always enough, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled warmly, a heavy weight lifting off his shoulders. "Thanks." He said genuinely, peace washing over him at last. Then he paused, mouth quirking into a bemused frown. "Ah, what's your name?" He grinned sheepishly.

"Naruto-kun..." she murmured with a sad sort of resignation.

"That's Hinata. These two are Kiba and Shino. You'll get to know everyone soon enough." Sakura said, still leaned back.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan." Naruto said. The girl became bright red, and Shino moved with incredible speed, suddenly appearing to catch her limp form as she fainted. "Ah! Is she okay?" Naruto asked with alarm, nearly standing.

Sakura chuckled, "She's fine. You just don't normally call her that." She was smiling... but again, she actually looked_—_"eat, Naruto." She commanded suddenly, crossing her arms.

"Ah! Right." He nodded, finally having a taste of his dish. It was... _magnificent_. Now he knew he _really _liked ramen. _A lot_.

"This is even better than the instant ramen Iruka-sensei brought me!" He proclaimed excitedly, digging in again almost immediately. Sakura smiled brightly, locking eyes with Kiba who was throwing her a thumbs up.

"It's always been your favorite," she chimed, flashing a victory sign.

After finishing his third bowl, Naruto stood and stretched, pleased. Kiba had finally departed with some words of encouragement... sort of. _Make sure you remember everything fast. I still owe you an asskicking for the chuunin exams!_ Shino had also departed, but not before placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder silently. He guessed that was encouragement of a type, too. At some point, Hinata had disappeared too, but he hadn't noticed when.

Sakura was speaking with Teuchi, and he realized that she was paying for his meal. He frowned, patting orange pockets despite already knowing they were empty. He hadn't thought about that.

Then they were off.

—

He stepped into his apartment, Sakura behind him, and appraised it with a nod. He already thought it looked much more cozy than the hospital room.

"Wow, I've never seen it like this before. Someone must have cleaned it while you were in the hospital." She spoke with something close to awe.

"Iruka-sensei mentioned he was here," Naruto nodded in agreement. He was about to flop onto his bed, exhausted from an exciting luncheon excursion, when a deep voice cut through the air.

"Naruto-kun, Sakura-san. Come with us immediately." A man wearing a white, painted mask was in the room suddenly, and another, similar figure was crouched on the window sill.

Naruto felt panic rise to his throat. "Who are you?"

"Anbu-san..." Sakura whispered. "What happened? Is everything okay?" Her voice became more shrill as she spoke.

"Hokage-sama is requiring that the both of you accompany us." The larger of the two, already in the room, strode to Naruto and took him by the arm. "Come with us immediately."

—

At Konoha's east gate, two individuals approached casually, their laughing voices ringing through the forest. Kuromaru's hair stood on end, and he growled deeply at Tsume, who crouched next to him.

"I know, Kuromaru. I smell it too." She growled back, bearing her own teeth. "I'll go tell the Hokage. You stay here and support the ANBU. Don't let them in!" She snapped, disappearing with a shunshin. Kuromaru leapt down to the gate, his fur on end. These two would pay for what they did to one of his extended Konoha pack, even if it _was _the fox.

* * *

_Thanks so much for the follows and reviews! I know this is all setup so far, but the next chapter should really start to get things moving. Let me know what you think, and once again, give a shout if there's someone you'd love to see in future chapters._


	4. Last Known Surroundings

**Last Known Surroundings**

As soon as Kuromaru hit the ground, the two humans stopped their approach. Amusingly, the male jumped with fright, and the female heeled him into a position behind her as she looked on, indecision on her features. He felt satisfaction ripple through him just as a snarl did. Two ANBU landed silently in the dirt at his sides, and the gate keepers backed into the shadows of their posts, eyes hard.

"Does that wolf have an eye patch!?" The boy asked, pointing dramatically from under his taller companion's arm. He was clearly an adolescent, though certainly older than Kiba. The female resembled Hana in years. They both had shockingly red hair, unlike any he'd seen in Konoha in many years.

"Shut up." She muttered, eyes narrowed. "Something's not right here."

"Do you think he didn't tell them?" He asked, this time more quietly. Kuromaru listened intently, and he knew the ANBU would be doing the same.

"He's not as bad as _you_. I thought this might happen, though." She spoke without taking her icy eyes from the three before her, glaring forward coldly.

"Hey! He is too as bad as me. Anyway, Arushi-sama said everything would be fine." He seemed to be getting less worried and even sidestepped to gaze up at the taller woman; she threw him a stern frown. Kuromaru growled again, sending the boy skittering back behind her.

"Hey you," she said, addressing the ANBU now. "We're here to see Naruto-chan." Neither ANBU so much as flinched, but Kuromaru felt his hair rise even more. He lowered his stance and snapped at the air menacingly with another snarl, foam spraying from his jaws.

She only put her hands on her hips, raising her chin defiantly.

"Do you even _see_ these hitai-ate?" The boy poked out from behind her, thumbing at the forehead protector around his neck emphatically. It was carved with a spiral. The one across the girl's forehead was the same. "We're Uzushio-nin! Allies! You can't treat us like this." Then, in a much more quiet voice, "can they, Nee-chan?" She opted to ignore him, taking a step forward instead and dipping her head in a faux-bow.

"We request to speak with the Hokage-sama as well as Naruto-chan. We can wait." She added the last part flatly, taking a more casual stance and inspecting her fingernails.

—

Naruto glanced around the dark, stone room apprehensively.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." Sakura said, sounding as though she were convincing herself as much as him. There was a muffled bang, and both of them jumped. The ANBU sitting statuesque near the door didn't flinch. Slowly, she stood and pulled the stone door open with a low, heavy rumble.

A girl stepped in, bouncing on her heels.

"Ah! Naruto, Sakura! How are you guys?" She smiled cheerily, her round face complemented by the buns in her hair. Neji and Lee walked in after her. "I heard about what happened, Naruto. Sorry I didn't get to visit you in the hospital!"

"It's okay. You're..."

"Tenten." She said with a smile. Then, with a flat voice, she added: "You better not forget it again." Somehow, Naruto was fairly certain that this girl would be worse than Kiba.

"Have you remembered anything yet Naruto!?" Lee asked, his voice ricocheting off the walls with nearly enough force to cause a collapse. Tenten shot a fist straight at his face, but he caught it easily without any other sign of reaction.

"Quiet down, Lee! You're so loud!" She squawked angrily.

"Not yet," Naruto said, making sure to stick close to Sakura. She was definitely safer than this new girl. He already knew Neji and Lee from when they'd visited him in the hospital. "But I had ramen!" He added as a pleasant afterthought. Neji gave a gentle, muted smile.

"We've been assigned to stay with you two for now." He handed a scroll to the ANBU, who broke the seal and read it quickly. The woman gave a quick nod to him and then departed, sliding the stone door closed behind her.

Suddenly Neji turned, clasping his hands into a seal and narrowing intensified eyes at the wall. He glared for quite some time before turning to regard the others.

"Anything changed?" Tenten asked. Neji shook his head.

"What's going on out there? Anbu-san didn't tell us anything." Sakura said.

"Two intruders believed to be related to Naruto's disappearance have approached the village." He responded coolly. Sakura felt her heart skip a beat.

"What? Are you sure it's just two? Is Naruto going to be okay?" Lee zipped to her, taking her hand in both of his with a striking intensity in his eyes.

"Sakura-chan, we will do whatever it takes to ensure that Naruto-kun—and especially you—are safe! Guy-sensei entrusted this to us, and our devotion to him is rivaled by nothing in this world. In the name of Guy-sensei, we will succeed in this mission!" With effort, Sakura smiled at him. She was grateful when Tenten grabbed him, spun him around, and shook him with angry trills to _quiet. down._

Neji only rubbed the spot between his eyebrows with a tired exhale.

"What do they look like?" Naruto's quiet voice finally asked. He was gazing at Neji with an expression of determination.

"A boy and girl with red hair and spirals on their hitai-ate. Both older than us. The girl's an adult, tall with a ponytail. The boy—" he paused, eyes widening. "The battle's started."

—

"Don't _touch_ my little brother." The female growled, expression fierce. She was reaching her hand into a pouch at her hip when Kuromaru charged toward her, fangs bared.

In his impatience, the younger intruder had decided that strolling forward, straight past the ANBU would be a good idea. He was pressed to the ground in a flash, arms pinned behind his back, whimpering like a pup now.

The girl's eyes flitted momentarily to her brother as she leapt back from Kuromaru's approach, pulling a small piece of paper from her pouch. Appearing in a puff of smoke, the second ANBU was before her; he was forming a hand seal, but her small paper glowed with chakra before he could finish. With a metallic screech, a tangled mass of glowing chains exploded forth from the small paper, surrounding the group with almost imperceivable speed. They snaked around the two ANBU and Kuromaru, and as they tightened painfully he could feel his chakra draining. He struggled and snapped at them but was otherwise immobile.

A final chain wrapped around the now-freed boy who was standing and dusting himself off. With another wail, he was jerked backward and released unceremoniously in a heap behind his sister. She hmphed and quickly pulled a second scrap of paper from her pouch, holding it out, her palm toward him. It glowed and from it a bubble formed, encasing the young man in a glass-like sphere. He stood to slam his fist against it, muffled voice irate and face filled with concern. She pressed her palm to the structure, gazing meaningfully at him.

"How touching," a voice trawled from behind her, and she leapt once again, barely dodging a spray of kunai that bounced off the sphere and twirled through the air uselessly.

Another glowing paper, and a fireball lit up the world in a sickly orange glow. Kakashi dodged it easily himself, forming hand seals so fast that his fingers were a blur. A water dragon flashed into existence, drenching the fireball before it could get near his three chained comrades. In his moment of distraction, she'd activated yet another paper seal, sending more chakra chains forth to wrap around Kakashi. As soon as the chakra-drain began, his form exploded into a million droplets of water.

"Tch," she glared around her, then formed her own hand seal. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" She called, and a dozen replicas of her appeared, darting through the trees with equally calculating expressions darkening their faces. Several of them dug through their pouches, and one activated her paper after pressing it to her forehead. After a second, she dispersed, and the others focused their attention to a spot on the ground.

Another kage bunshin dropped to the dirt in that second, pressing her own glowing paper down. The earth cracked and rumbled, and Kakashi leapt out, frowning fiercely. His sharingan spun, taking in the bunshins' locations throughout the trees. One of them was activating a seal, and a mass of water shot forth, drenching the trees in a wild spray. He dodged just as another bunshin activated a second jutsu—this one was lightning, channeling through the water effortlessly. Kakashi surrounded himself with his own raiton jutsu and deflected the bolts that neared him.

"Looks like I've met another copy-nin of sorts. How unexpected." He said, landing softly on a branch and watching the set of shadow clones regard him similarly. Pity he couldn't enact his copying skill on her fuinjutsu.

She said nothing in response, only narrowing a dozen sets of eyes at him. It was clear that she was not a close-range fighter. She wore a cropped jacket of tanned brown hide, leather. Usually only civilians wore materials that limited the range of movement such as that. If he could get rid of those clones and get in close, she'd be useless.

His sharingan whirled again as he caught sight of one in the far back raising another tag to her forehead. In a flash, the clone was dispersed by his own before it once again darted into hiding. Wearing matching glares, two more alighted down to the earth, and above them several others were reaching for more tags. This was going to have to end now, Kakashi realized.

He formed an instantaneous seal with his hands, and the earth melted underneath the two standing on the ground. They sank up to their necks, and one popped out of existence as it did. The other didn't. Kakashi solidified the earth again, smirking under his mask as three other clones jumped down, tags outreached and ready to press to the earth. He dispersed all three with quick taijutsu, then took to the trees, his speed outmatching the woman's easily.

Within mere seconds, the rest of her clones were dispersed. Kakashi took them down ruthlessly, not allowing a single seal to be activated.

Finished, he landed in a crouch before her bodiless head, condescendingly pleasant expression on his face.

"Is that all?" He asked.

Before she could answer, another voice rang out over the clearing.

"Did you _really _think you could take on Hatake Kakashi, girl?" A woman asked as she stood near the wolf, still wrapped in chains.

"Never heard of him," the redhead spat, still glaring. The woman only bared her teeth in response.

"Yeah right. Let Kuromaru out of your jutsu before I give you a pretty set of brand new scars." Her voice had a feral growl to it.

The redhead smirked. "I'd let your doggy go if I could, but it wouldn't be chained at all if _your_ people hadn't attacked my defenseless idiot brother." Somewhere behind her, a muffled voice cried out indignantly. "Let me speak to the Hokage _now._" She demanded.

"You're not exactly in the kind of position to make demands," Kakashi said with a tone bordering on amusement.

She glowered at him yet again. "Where is Hokage-sama?"

"Here." Tsunade's voice rang out. She was standing high above them on the top of Konoha's wall, two others at her side. "Who are you?" She alighted down, and Kakashi stood to give the two room. Tsunade's eyes flicked up to see the younger sibling bow in his glass-like bubble. He dressed much more like a typical nin than his sister, with a baggy black suit and white bandages at his ankles, and his red hair was cropped very short, mussed into a cowlick.

"We are the emissaries of Uzushiogakure. Naruto-chan should be here for this discussion."

"Enough!" Tsunade's booming voice shocked the petulance from the girl's features. "Uzushiogakure no longer exists."

"We're rebuilding it. Uzumaki Arushi-sama, our leader, is working to revive the great Uzushiogakure, and the first step is to reestablish friendly relations with Konohagakure. That is our mission. We come with peace in mind." Tsunade's expression betrayed nothing as she listened.

"Take them to Torture and Interrogation." She said finally, and the young woman's face became stunned.

"We're not lying. Ask Naruto-chan. He must not have told you everything." She had barely gotten the words out when Tsunade snapped a cold, angry response.

"And what exactly was Naruto supposed to tell us?" Her fists were clenched and eyes narrowed.

"Why he gave us the Kyuubi," she said, voice much more cautious than before. "And everything about us." She paused, eyes searching Tsunade. "What _did_ he tell you?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she glanced past the girl as the younger sibling rifled through his pack, finally digging out another hitai-ate with the same Uzushiogakure symbol carved into it. He pressed it to the bubble and called in a loud, though muffled voice, "I almost forgot! This belongs to Naruto-chan!"

"Where exactly is this supposed rebuilt Uzushiogakure?" She asked, eyes sliding back down to the submerged girl.

"At the bottom of the ocean."

* * *

I'm excited about the interest in this story so far! As before, keep on letting me know what you think! :) Unfortunately I will not be posting as quickly for the next few chapters, but I'll do my best to get back into the swing of consistency ASAP.


	5. Hunted

**Hunted  
**

A red-haired young woman awakened slowly, the world shifting as she blinked bleary eyes into focus. She was in a dark room, tied to a chair. With an alarmed look, she craned her neck to catch sight of her brother. He was seated to her left, tied to a chair much the same way she was. Both were wearing prison smocks with sleeves that tied around the back, preventing them from forming two-handed seals. Inside the sleeves, her fingers were taped together. Her brother only noticed her after several moments of squirming about in his restraints, and they shared a silent, meaningful look, then his eyes flicked beyond her.

"Finally awake?" Inoichi stepped into view, and the two watched him darkly as he stopped in front of the woman. His face was void of any kindness.

"If you two want to keep all of your limbs, you'll cooperate." A voice called from behind the two, out of their sight. Ibiki began to sharpen tools with menacing _shings_ and _whirs_ and _clacks_ and _bzzs_ just behind where the two Uzushio-nin sat tied to chairs. Shoulders tense, the boy had immediately frozen and became so wide-eyed that Inoichi worried he would faint. He did, after another few seconds.

His sister had donned a deceptively bored expression, but her rigid posture gave away nerves. She raised an eyebrow at Inoichi.

"I still don't understand what you want. If you just ask Naruto-chan—"

"We are asking _you_." Ibiki said, his whispered voice suddenly right in her ear although she had not heard him move forward. "Or maybe we should ask your brother," he continued, looping around in front of her with something shiny in his hand, though she couldn't make out what it was. He didn't stop, taking a few more steps around his blonde partner until he was standing just before the second captive. "He's kinda cute, isn't he?" Ibiki asked his partner. Inoichi smirked, playing along with the psychological warfare. If her increasingly angry expression was anything to go by, they'd have her spilling everything in no time. He decided to push it just a little further.

"Girly." He said with a half smile that seemed sickeningly casual to her. She snorted in anger, pressing against the fabric of her restraints.

"If you touch my brother I will throw away all my orders and tear you to pieces myself." She snarled, but she was beginning to calm herself even as she spoke. Now she sat still, glaring coldly at the two.

"And what were those orders again?" Ibiki asked with a disconcerting smile.

"To invite an alliance with your... village." She finished after a pause, clearly swallowing some bad words.

"Alliance? Now isn't that a leap, last time you said, what was it Inoichi? Friendly relations?" Inoichi gave a single nod in response.

"I hate semantics and I _hate_ creepy old men," she growled. "Go ahead and interrogate me, do what you want, but don't you _dare_ touch my brother." She seethed. Ibiki glanced up, looking at something behind her.

"What do you say, Hokage-sama?" He asked, smirking at the sudden stiffness to the woman sitting before him.

"Well, if she's asking for it," Tsunade's voice grew slightly louder as her heels clacked on the floor and she stepped into view. "We want to know what you did to Naruto. Everything. Are you willing to tell us?" The captive ninja still had narrowed eyes, but there was something far closer to respect in them as she beheld Tsunade. Those hard eyes seemed to be calculating, and for a second she even looked lost before she gave a stiff nod.

"Of course. I just don't understand. He said he would tell you everything." She was much more subdued now, though her voice still held an edge of defiance.

"We're going to use an interrogation jutsu on you. If you fight back in any way, we'll be using it on your brother instead. Do you understand?" Inoichi asked, gazing down his nose at her with cold, dark eyes. She bristled again, respect gone.

"Do _you _understand that if you do anything to harm my brother or myself, you're going to have to answer to Arushi-sama? He wanted an _alliance _with you people." She snapped her words at them angrily.

Inoichi's voice was disturbingly calm as he responded. "Do you understand?" Like a broken record, not skipping a beat. She only glared, face becoming even more red with her growing anger. The three simply gazed down at her, allowing the silence to stretch. She did not cave, waiting with her own glare until finally Tsunade spoke.

"You must have something very big to hide." She said, arching an eyebrow accusingly.

"I'm not hiding _anything _from you, you..." she finished the sentence with a snort. "Look at this from my perspective. I don't even get to the gates of your village and my brother is immediately attacked. I tell you that we're here on a peaceful mission and you trick me just so you can knock us out, and drag us to this... place, and interrogate us like criminals. Think about what you're doing." Her voice was still filled with disdain, but there was a clear look of plea in her eyes. When they did not speak, standing over her in silence, she finally sighed, brow still furrowed. "If I cooperate, you'll let him go?" She was chewing on the decision, so close to giving in and allowing them access to her innermost thoughts. Tsunade nodded. "Fine. Just get it over with."

"Are you ready?" Inoichi asked, stepping before her and crouching so that their eyes met at level. No longer hesitating, the redhead nodded with determination. "Jigyaku no justu." He intoned, power coming off the words in waves. She stiffened, eyes twitching from their narrowed state into something more subdued, then glazing over and training lifelessly to the floor. Her head drooped, a toy with its batteries removed. When Inoichi was satisfied she was not fighting the jutsu, he began the interrogation. His voice was soft and laden with chakra as he spoke. "Who are you, what is your mission here in Konoha right now, and who else is here from your people?" He asked. Her voice came out as a slow, even tone without a trace of emotion.

"I am Uzumaki Yuzuki. Our mission is to encourage the reinstatement of the Konoha-Uzushio alliance. My brother Mushiro and I are the delegation. No one else is here." There was visible relaxation on the part of Tsunade and Inoichi. Ibiki's eyes remained narrowed, his shoulders stiff. Inoichi continued.

"How many seals do you have on your mind to prevent invasive interrogation?" He asked. She did not pause before answering.

"Three." Inoichi threw Tsunade a look that made her bite her thumb in deliberation.

"Not until the machine is ready. Just keep going with this," she said after a moment. The slight shift in Inoichi's posture was probably invisible to the hokage herself, but Ibiki could pick out his partner's subtle frustration anywhere. Even so, Tsunade was likely right. There was no wisdom in underestimating Uzumaki seals. The unfortunate side-effect was that, however useful the time reversal technique was, it couldn't always be trusted. An advanced shinobi would be capable of lying through it, although with Inoichi at the helm, that was beyond unlikely.

"Go back to the first day you met Naruto." Inoichi had begun the interrogation once again. "Tell us where you were, what your mission was, and who you were with. I want you to describe the entire encounter to us." For a few moments, Yuzuki's drooping eyelids flicked open and shut in small, jerky movements as she viewed a film reel of memories rewinding, then she spoke.

"We were just an hours' travel from Konoha's south gate in the forest. Arushi-sama had asked us to convince Naruto-chan to join us in rebuilding Uzushiogakure. He told me that Naruto-chan would have to come alone and without informing his village. He said Naruto-chan would never even be given the choice to come see his people because of the Kyuubi. He sent my brother and I and Nidal-san." Inoichi had exchanged glances with Ibiki and Tsunade while she spoke, particularly when talking about the need to take Naruto in secret. It was interesting that her voice had taken a hard, almost disdainful edge when she said it, showing just a touch of emotion through the fog. After a short pause, she continued.

"I told my brother to stay behind. When I approached, Naruto-chan was practicing taijutsu with two shadow clones. I ensured he was otherwise alone, then observed for several minutes before approaching him.

"Why did you observe him first?" Ibiki asked, fishing for the ill motives he was sure they'd find.

"He was funny," she droned. Ibiki did not bother hiding the slight raise of his eyebrows in surprise. "After observing, I captured him and called my broth—"

"Go back" Tsunade interrupted. "Describe what you observed." Ibiki gave her a sideways glance but did not question it. Slowly, still in monotone, the woman began to recount exactly what had happened.

—

"I'm kind of bored." A Naruto kage bunshin said after taking a hit to the face he probably should have seen coming. He rubbed his cheek, surprised the blow had not dispersed him.

"Quit whining, I got a great idea!" The real Naruto said suddenly to the two clones with him. He formed a seal and three more clones popped into existence.

"This is the same idea you had yesterday..." one of the new three muttered flatly.

"Don't tell me things I was already thinking!" He shouted back, fists balled. Then, crossing his arms smugly, he began to call out the instructions far too loudly for the small group encircling them. "Five against one! I'm the original, so you gotta catch me before I pop you all! No kage bunshin allowed—uh, other than you five I mean. And uuhhhh... oh yeah! A three second head start!" Immediately, he leapt into a tree and darted away through the branches. The five left behind glanced at each other.

"One..." A clone began the count—then they all took to the trees, laughing deviously.

Yuzuki leapt between branches carefully, keeping up with the boy but ensuring she would not alert him of her presence quite yet. She froze when he suddenly fell with a shout from the canopy just before her. Two clones were diving down at him immediately, and after a sudden puff of smoke cleared, the two were holding the third's arms, struggling with him.

"I'm a bunshin, idiots!" He screamed.

"Hah! Nice try, Original. I got you!" The clone on his right laughed triumphantly.

"No, I got him!" The one on his left retorted, shaking a fist at the other.

"He used a replacement! I'm not him!" Their captive howled, stomping his feet. Suspiciously, the two let go of him and he rubbed his wrists, eyes narrowed to slits.

"Prove it." One of the captors said. Both were still clearly ready to grab him again, their stances wide and eyes suspicious. With a petulant glare, he reached for a kunai. "Oy!" A captor feinted his own kunai at the captive menacingly, to which he simply stuck out his tongue. With a quick motion, he suddenly stabbed himself in the hand with a positively wicked grin of triumph at the other two. He popped out of existence. The two scratched the backs of their heads.

"So it _wasn't_ him," one said, a poutlike frown forming on his face. Then, with a shocked start: "AH! Now there's only four of us!" He lamented. The other nodded, eyes slitted in deep thought.

"We gotta be more careful..." he said dangerously. "This guy's real smart."

"Mm," the other intoned, nodding sagely and mimicking the thoughtful expression. Before he could say anything more, he suddenly popped in a puff of smoke, his accomplice re-pocketing the kunai and laughing with malicious glee. "Gotcha! Haha—YAH!" A clone landed hard on top of him, slamming him face down into the dirt.

"Nice try, Original. We win again!" He stood atop his original and flashed a victory sign at the two jealous clones who'd been too slow, laughing mockingly.

"Yeah yeah, keep bragging. I was lettin' you get him this time." One said, hands behind his neck. The three popped out of existence, and the face-down original sat up, wiping the dirt off his frowning face.

"Eeeehhhh, it's boring if we're all the same, isn't it?" He asked no one in particular.

"Then why not come train with us?" He leapt up at her voice, skittering backwards and staring into the trees all around him.

"Who's there?" He demanded, pointing a finger at some particularly thick branches. She found it almost impressive, how off he was.

"I'm over here, idiot." She said, dropping out of the tree to stand in plain sight. "So, no one wants to play with you?" Naruto flushed bright red.

"I-I'm not playing! I'm _training_! And who are you, anyway?" He demanded. She opened her mouth and began to answer, but with a sudden shout he interrupted her, pointed at her hitai-ate, and exclaimed very loudly: "You're not from Konoha!" She repressed a sigh. He _had_ to end up being like her brother, didn't he?

"No. I'm from Uzushiogakure. My name is Uzumaki Yuzuki." She gazed at him, measuring his reaction. For a moment, he seemed to have none, staring at her quite blankly.

"U..Uzumaki?" He said finally, scratching his head. "Does that mean we're, like, _related_?" She pressed her fingertips to her temple.

"No." She said, flatly. Naruto seemed to accept that with a simple nod.

"So what's Uzuko or whatever?" Now, she sighed. How could an Uzumaki not know of his own homeland? Konoha had a lot to answer for.

"Uzushio. It's where our Uzumaki clan originated, but it was destroyed a long time ago because of how strong it was. Right now we're rebuilding it... by we I mean my family and I. Our leader Arushi-sama has graciously invited you to help, since you're family too." For a moment, his expression showed something she didn't quite understand. Then he gave an almost comically dramatic frown.

"Hey wait a minute, I thought you said we weren't related!" He snorted with disdain, arms crossed. She answered seethingly through a clenched smile, feeling her brow dip low over her eyes.

"What I meant is that as a member of the Uzumaki clan, we will _always_ consider you family. Idiot!" Before she'd met this brat, only her brother had been able to annoy her so easily. She took a moment trying to swallow the frustration, but it wasn't necessary. The look on his face did it all for her.

It was an intense, desperate longing.

And then, as though the expression had never been there, he was grinning foolishly again.

"Hah! What makes you think I'd wanna go build some village?" He laughed more, mockingly, and she was sure that it would have annoyed her all over again if she hadn't just seen everything in him that her father had told her about. _Lonely, cast out..._

"He wants to talk to you about something else as well. He thinks he can help you with the Kyuubi." She added. With that comment, Naruto looked stricken. His hand found its way to his stomach in a gesture that seemed almost subconsciously numb.

"Y-you know about that?" He asked, taking a step back.

"Of course. Uzumakis have always been tasked with imprisoning the Kyuubi. Only our superior constitution can handle its malignance." She couldn't help an airy smile.

"_What?_ Lady, stop trying to confuse me and give a straight answer, will you?" And she was annoyed again.

"Look, we can help you. Just come see our village before you say no." Naruto closed his eyes in thought, arms crossed.

"You said I can train there, right?" He asked after a moment of thought, an edge of excitement to his voice again.

"Uzumakis specialize in fuinjutsu. No one in Konohagakure could train you as well as we could in that art." She mirrored his crossed arms, her own smirk proud. He was unabashedly excited now.

"I dunno what that is, but it sounds great! Count me in! I'm gonna go tell Tsunade obaa-chan right now!" He had already turned to run off, so she had to leap into action immediately.

"Wait!" She shouted, running after him. Surprisingly, he did, stopping to regard her again, this time with confusion.

"Huh? What now, lady?" He asked. She felt awkward, wondering how she could word this. After a short moment of hesitation, she answered.

"Arushi-sama said you should come without telling anyone. He said that Konoha might try to... hold you back." He looked entirely skeptical then, but after a moment he simply grinned, flashing her a thumbs up.

"Don't worry! Tsunade obaa-chan isn't like that. You'll see!" And with that, he was off at a run again, this time a little too fast to be mere excitement. She had to leap into the trees to catch up with him after his dash. Finally, she managed to overcome his speed and dropped down before him with arms outstretched.

"Stop." She commanded. He did, this time with alarm on his features. She forced a smile, trying to be reassuring, but his expression still only reflected distrust. This was _not _the kind of job she was cut out for. It would be so much easier to just drag him home, but Arushi-sama hadn't really seemed like he wanted that... although... After a moment of deliberation, she steeled her features. "You're coming with us."

"Teme..." he growled, widening his stance, but she didn't give him a chance to escape, gripping a seal paper from her pouch and lunging. He leapt away, almost making it to a tree branch when he was encased in the sphere, falling to the earth with a heavy, tone-like thud. "Oy!" He shouted from within. "Let me out of here you crazy lady! I'm never going to your village, you hear me? I'll beat you to a pulp!" His muffled voice only shrieked louder as she began rolling the sphere, forcing him to take erratic steps backward just to stay upright. She focused chakra to her left shoulder blade, and in seconds Mushiro was leaping through the tree branches to the two of them.

—

In the interrogation chamber, her monotone voice continued on without pause. "When my brother approached, he said—"

"Stop. What did you mean about your shoulder blade?" Tsunade asked, one eyebrow raised.

"By focusing chakra into the seal located on my left shoulder blade, my brother can sense where I am and that I am calling to him." She responded with the same evenness to her voice.

"How many seals do you have on your body?" Ibiki asked.

"Thirty-two," she droned.

The three interrogators exchanged ominous gazes. Ibiki scribbled something down on a notepad along with several other notes. Their captive continued, completely unfazed.

—

"I was wondering when you'd call!" Mushiro's voice called out from the leaves just before he dropped to the ground next to them, some twigs still in his hair. "Woah! Why'd you trap him?" He asked, bending to look at Naruto sideways. The boy inside the sphere simply gazed back from under furrowed brows, his arms crossed in childish anger. "Woooww..." Mushiro breathed, sounding incredibly impressed. His rounded mouth broke into a grin as some curiosity snuck onto Naruto's angry expression. "He's so _small_."

Naruto hurled a whole bunch of angry exclamations in response to that. When he breached the topic of their village and what he thought of it in no such nice words, Yuzuki felt her anger rising.

"Quiet!" She said, shooting a harsh sideways kick against the sphere so that it crashed against the tree trunk just next to it. Taken by surprise, Naruto managed to lose his balance and smack his head against the hard, concave surface with a hard thud. He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Wh—A clone!? Oh man, that is _so _not like you! Ahahaha!" Mushiro called through peals of loud laughter. He clutched his side and slapped the sphere with a fist in his hysterics. She didn't have time to deal with his idiocy, leaping up into the trees as she made her own set of kage bunshin. They dashed through the forest at speeds that blurred the world, stopping only when orange would flash before them. Three, four, five Naruto clones popped in puffs of smoke immediately after they turned to fight, to stop her. The one that continued running, desperate to change directions, was a dead giveaway—except she eventually dispersed that one too. She tore on, heading in the general direction of the village. One of her kage bunshin popped away after activating a sensor seal to her forehead, and Yuzuki veered slightly west toward the last bit of chakra remaining.

Naruto—at least, she was fairly certain this was the real one—had made it far but was still a safe distance from the village. With a screech, her chakra chains clamped around him just as he was noticing her approach, and they stopped his hands from forming the cross that boded more kage bunshin.

"Let go of me you crazy hag!" He screamed, struggling admirably considering the chakra drain. She landed deftly at his side, her own glare doing nothing to deter his frustrated thrashing. Even as the seconds passed and he drooped with sluggishness, he continued to fight. Finally, when his growls became slow, labored panting and his eyes began to flutter with exhaustion, she reached into her pack for another sphere seal. It was just then that a surge of unfamiliar chakra flooded her senses, and she leapt backward with alarm. With twin flashes of red, his eyes trained onto her, pupils slitted and filled with rage. The chakra was oozing out of him like sap, surrounding his form with a sickly red glow, and she could feel the blow of hot dry air. It smelled repulsive. Even her chains struggled to absorb that much energy.

"Is that the Kyuubi's chakra?" She asked in a hushed voice. Naruto screamed an angry, wordless roar at her—were those _fangs?_—and began to push his arms out against the chains. To her shock, they were giving. "Impressive," she breathed. Now she understood what father meant when he talked about this _power_.

Eyes never leaving Naruto, she slowly dug further into her pouch and raised a small slip of paper. She stepped forward, reaching out to press the slip to his forehead. It sizzled in the Kyuubi's chakra and alit itself. After a second, the repression tag took effect, and Naruto finally collapsed forward, drained of both human and demonic chakra.

Her fingertips were burned.

After dropping out of a nearby tree, Mushiro strolled forward nonchalantly, tilting Naruto's chin with the toe of his sandal. "Kinda freaky. I can see why the village was scared of him." Yuzuki glared at her brother.

"It's not like he asked for this." She spat.

"Onee-chan, you take everything so _seriously_." He heaved a sigh, rolling his eyes. Then, without any of his usual playfulness, he murmured: "I thought father said he'd want to come."

"He did." She responded shortly, recalling Naruto's excitement and having a hard time relating it to the monstrosity she'd just witnessed.

"Uh, not really what it looks like to me." He quirked an eyebrow and tipped his head at the crumpled child below them.

"He wanted to ask the Hokage's permission first. I couldn't let him do that." She was regretting it already, but there was no room for regret when it came to rebuilding her village. She picked Naruto up, slinging him over her shoulder and taking to the trees. Quietly, keeping pace with her now, her brother continued the conversation she had tried to escape from.

"We would have asked dad's permission."

"I know."

* * *

Hope you guys liked this chapter! I love all the reviews I've gotten so far-they've really inspired me in my writing! Let me know what you think, and do continue telling me any ideas, guesses, comments, or critiques you have.


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